Dear ITTS staff members:
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Oya Rieger is now Director, Digital Library and Information Technologies (DLIT). Oya moved last Friday to 502 Olin Library to be close to most of you. Please join me in congratulating Oya!
After making significant contributions in previous positions at CUL, Oya moved to DLIT in 2002. Since that time Oya has compiled one of the most impressive records of contribution to library organizational development that I have ever seen. She developed the Digital Consulting and Production Services (DCAPS) from a good idea to a thriving, vibrant program that has won both national and international attention. Within and beyond the library's walls, Oya excels at working across boundaries. In addition Oya has an international reputation as a digital imaging, preservation, and metadata expert. Currently, Oya is putting her collegial manner, diplomatic skill, and tireless dedication to good use as leader of the library's large-scale digitization initiative.
Oya's group will be made of three departments as illustrated in the ITTS (Information Technology and Technical Services) and DLIT org charts, available from
http://www.library.cornell.edu/dlit/ITTS. Oliver Habicht will continue as Director, Desktop Services. The Digital Media Group will be made up of two units--Digital Production, headed by Danielle Mericle, and Web Development and Management, with George Kozak as interim coordinator. The continuing digital preservation project for arXiv and Euclid, staffed by Bill Kehoe and Adam Smith, will fall within Web Development and Management. DLIT's third department is Scholarly Communications Technologies, also made up of two units--E-Publishing Technologies, headed by David Ruddy, and the arXiv, coordinated by Simeon Warner.
Marcy Rosenkrantz has alerted me of her decision to retire in January 2007. Her last day in the Library will be December 22, and after Thanksgiving, Marcy will begin using up some of her vacation balance. In light of Marcy's decision, I have determined the best course of action is to merge Library Systems and Metadata Services into a single unit reporting to Marty Kurth. Marcy has generously offered to help prepare Marty for taking on an expanded role, and to facilitate this Marty will be moving very soon to the office next to Marcy's in 504 Olin. During her time with the Library this fall, Marcy will be leading the Voyager upgrade project and finishing up her role as principal investigator of the NSF-funded MathARC project. Please join me in wishing Marcy well and thanking her not only for her important contributions to the library, but also for her willingness to help us through this important transition.
Marty Kurth is now Director, Discovery Systems and Services (DSS), which merges and renames the formerly separate Library Systems and Metadata Services groups, as illustrated in the ITTS (Information Technology and Technical Services) and DSS organizational charts, available from http://www.library.cornell.edu/dlit/ITTS. Please join me in congratulating Marty and thanking him for his willingness to take on this new expanded role.
Marty came to Cornell in 1998 as head of academic cataloging in Central Technical Services. He rapidly moved to head of cataloging, and his contributions to e-resource discovery in that role began to build on Cornell's reputation for excellence and innovation in technical services. In 2002, Marty stepped up to the challenge of creating one of the first Metadata Services groups in a library. Professionally, Marty has held a variety of important offices in ALA's Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), this year winning an ALCTS Presidential Citation for his leadership in creating new opportunities in continuing education for cataloging and metadata specialists. A sought-after colleague inside and outside the library, Marty has extraordinary gifts for working with people and bringing out the best in them.
Marty's new group has two primary units--Metadata Services and Discovery Systems Development and Management. Elaine Westbrooks will take a new role as Head, Metadata Services. Within Discovery Systems Development and Management there will be two groups--the System Architecture Group (Surinder Ghangas, Lydis Pettis, and Rick Silterra); and the Service Design Group (Adam Chandler, Matt Connolly, and Pete Hoyt). Surinder Ghangas has graciously agreed to serve an acting coordinator role and as consulting database administrator; and Adam will take on a new role as coordinator of the Service Design Group.
The third member of the ITTS senior management team is Scott Wicks, Director of Library Technical Services (LTS). I had the honor to announce Scott's promotion to CU-LIB on October 3. An updated LTS organizational chart may be found at http://lts.library.cornell.edu/lts/who/upload/LTSocOct2006.pdf.
I am very pleased to be able to make these announcements, excited about the prospect of working with all of you, and deeply grateful to those who are taking on new roles in ITTS. An all-LTS staff meeting and luncheon has been announced for Nov. 6; please watch for an announcement of an all-DLIT/DSS staff meeting on Nov. 16 from 11 am to 1:00 (including lunch).
Karen Calhoun
Senior AUL, Information Technology and Technical Services
111A Olin Library
5-9915
